baubook: Austria’s Eco Database Decoded

What baubook Is and Why It Exists

baubook is Austria’s publicly backed material registry that bundles technical specs, life-cycle impacts, and building certification scores in one searchable hub (BMK, 2024). Think IMDb for construction components: architects filter by U-value, global warming potential, even VOC levels, then drop the data straight into energy and LCA calculators.

How baubook Talks to EPDs

The platform does not publish Environmental Product Declarations itself. Instead, it imports their core numbers—GWP, ODP, ADP—and maps them to Austrian building codes and the klimaaktiv rating scheme. No EPD, no import. In 2025 baubook reported that 71 percent of new entries came from EN 15804-compliant EPDs (baubook annual digest 2025).

File Once, Speak Many Formats

Submitters upload data in XML or Excel, then baubook auto-converts it for ÖKOBAUDAT exports, Revit plug-ins, and PHPP thermal models. That one upload saves teams from copy-pasting into three different tools—a sneaky time win when your tech staff is already juggling six bids.

Commercial Upside for Manufacturers

klimaaktiv hits at least 40 percent of large public projects now, and tender docs often reference baubook line items right next to the spec code (klimaaktiv market survey 2024). Land on the registry, and your product pops into every architect’s drop-down menu by default. Stay off it, and you rely on cold calls.

Key Data Fields You Cannot Ignore

• Functional unit: if you list square meters when the PCR says kilograms, the entry bounces.
• Reference service life: defaults to 50 years. Anything shorter triggers a red flag.
• Proof documents: baubook demands PDFs of the underlying EPD and test reports, not just link URLs. Forget them and approval stalls.

Hidden Speed Traps

Translations chew up days. All meta-data must appear in German, even if your EPD is in English. Update cycles are quarterly, so miss the April cut-off and you wait until July. Finally, a single typo—enviromental, for example—can push your product into manual review.

Smart Shortcuts

1. Pre-validate your LCI and LCA numbers against the baubook XML schema before the official upload.
2. Bundle multiple products under one family entry when the underlying recipe barely changes. That slashes review time.
3. Hand the data wrangling to a partner who already speaks the database’s dialect so your R&D leads stay on the line instead of formatting cells.

Bring It Together

baubook is not just another directory. It is the digital handshake between your EPD and the architects writing Austrian specs. Nail the formatting, speak the right unit language, and your product rides shotgun on every klimaaktiv project without another sales call. Miss the fine print, and you watch from the curb while competitors get waved inside.